Honor Band and Orchestra
Dear Colleagues,
I am delighted to announce the 2019 Björling Music Festival: Honor Band and Honor Orchestra. Held Sunday and Monday, November 3 and 4, this year’s festival features the 31st annual honor band and 2nd annual honor orchestra. Our featured guest conductor for the Honor Band is Dr. Stephen Peterson, Director of Bands at the University of Illinois. The honor orchestra features Peter McGuire, Gustavus faculty member and violinist with the Minnesota Orchestra. I sincerely hope you and your students will join us this fall!
Our festival brings 250 students from 60 high schools across Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, and Wisconsin for two days of music. The event features faculty clinics, workshops for teachers, rehearsals, and a concert in Gustavus’s magnificent Christ Chapel. The honor ensembles will be under the direction of myself, Dr. Justin Knoepfel, Dr. Heidi Johanna Miller, and our guest conductors. The finale concert will feature two honor bands, the honor orchestra, and the renowned Gustavus Wind Orchestra. Students will also be treated to a live concert of Gustavus music ensembles on Sunday night.Students are selected following nomination by their high school director, music teacher, or private instructor. Whether you have nominated students each year for decades, or you have not yet participated, I hope this year you will nominate all deserving students in your program for our festival.
All nomination and registration information, as well as many more details about the Björling Music Festival, is available online at gustavus.edu/bjorlingmusicfestival. The participation fee is $35 per student and is open to any student grade 9–12. Nomination deadline is Friday, September 27. While nomination forms may be received after this date, space will be limited.
The Björling Music Festival is a highlight each year, and this year will be a truly special event. We look forward to working with all of you and your students. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at jpmgwo@gustavus.edu.
Most Sincerely,
Dr. James Patrick Miller
The Douglas Nimmo Endowed Professor of Music Conductor of the Gustavus Wind Orchestra Björling Music Festival Director